A/N:
Sorry for the delay. Let's hope the next update will be faster!!!

Dedicated to
ViscountessKeira and to all the lovely people who reviewed!

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Come Break Me Down

------

There
was stillness about Cephiro that was different from the quiet that
reign over the land when they first arrived there. This stillness was
not the lull before a great storm, but rather the comforting feeling
that all was well. The sky was a blameless blue and the gentle breeze
was pleasant to the skin.

The
horizon was broken by the sight of the floating isles, some of them
spilling with curtains of crystal clear water that pooled to the
grounds below, forming vast quantities of lakes where some of the
residents have taken to using as their public swimming holes. The
deeper and wider lakes the Palu had claimed for his water creatures,
cleverly placing blue irises and lavenders around the shoreline to
indicate that the water was inhabited.

Around
Cephiro, blue flowers were now officially Ascot's self proclaimed
property, much to the chagrin of the gardeners and botanists that
reside in the planet. The young man wasn't possessive of the
blooms; he was more than happy to see it being used to make wreaths
and table arrangements by the populace, and he delight always to see
it adorning the various rooms of the castle whenever possible. But he
has ordered his creatures to scare the living daylights of anyone who
trampled or plucked the flowers for no obvious reason.

Blue
flowers were precious, he'd been heard to mutter underneath his
breath. They deserve all the caring and loving the world has to give.

Umi
thought it was sweet how much attention he lavished on the plants.

Caldina
thought it was both hilarious and sad that Umi didn't get it.

It
was Hikaru, having been once under the same frame of the desperation
Ascot was feeling, who decided to broach the subject to the Blue
Knight. Even she, who was too naïve for her own good, could see
what was happening when it came to Ascot and her friend. At least
this time, it wasn't her who was blind to what was occurring. The
redhead imagined that Umi merely needed to be pushed to finally see
that the Palu would be good for her.

After
all, she said to herself, Umi deserves to know what it feels like to
be loved. It was unfair that only Fuu-chan and herself found the man
of their dreams in their sojourn in lovely Cephiro.

She
bid goodbye to the children she was teaching how to swim, then
absentmindedly plucked a blue trillium flower on her way back to the
palace, and lest one of Ascot's friends were watching the offense,
gamely placed it behind one ear. Yes, Ascot would be very good for
Umi, thought Hikaru.

------

She
found the girl in the East wing, where one of the hallways led to a
walled garden hidden from public view. Umi was sitting on top of the
wall, her blue hair braided loosely to deter the wind from playing
with the silken strands. Her two hands were braced on either side of
her as she leaned a bit, her face upturned to the sky overhead.

Hikaru
took a deep breath and in one fluid movement crouched low, her hands
she used to push herself upwards as she took a flying leap. Her
landing was noiseless, save for the sound of loose brickwork dropping
to the ground where her feet dislodged them from their place. It was
an old wall after all, old even before Princess Esmeraulde ascended
to the throne.

When
she was sure she was secure, she tuned her head to Umi and was not
surprised to see she was being scrutinized.

There
was a grin on Umi's lips.

Hikaru
grinned back.

"Lantis
had been teaching me some tricks," Hikaru explained, blushing a
little at the mention of the name, but pleased nonetheless at how
much she was advancing as a Cephirian fighter.

Her
companion nodded and turned back to gazing at the blue expanse. It
was on the tip of Umi's tongue to ask what the purpose was since
sooner rather than later they would be returning to Earth where
gravity would make such jumps impossible. 'On earth,' she thought
with an almost tangible longing, will follows the rules of nature and
not other way around.

'Except,'
Umi told herself, 'not even I am that cruel'. Instead she made a
noncommittal sound and added, "That's nice, Hikaru-chan. I'm
pleased to know you and Lantis-sama are behaving when the two of you
are alone." The tone of her voice changed from light to
speculative. "Those tricks are acceptable, ne? After all,
Hikaru-chan's 'nii-sans would be very disappointed if Lantis-sama
taught you those
tricks…"

She
looked at the Red Knight slyly, just in time to see Hikaru, her face
as red as her hair, pole axed and ready to fall to the lawn below. It
took a few seconds for Umi to register what was going to happen next,
and she moved quickly, reaching out to any part of Hikaru 's body
that she could grasp.

It
was unfortunate that the gentle breeze turned traitor and suddenly
became a gust of strong wind. It knocked Hikaru – still too
mortified to care - further off balance and Umi, having no foothold
to secure herself was dragged down.

The
sound of their fall was followed by profound silence.

Then,
"Baka, baka!!!" Umi was ready to breathe fire and she waved her
two hands in the air, too afraid to let them have a go of pummelling
Hikaru deeper to the ground. Her left side felt like it was on fire
and she almost winced at the probable bruise she would be seeing come
next morning. The red head with her blessed luck had landed on top of
the Water Knight.

Hikaru
took no notice and started bawling. "But that was so mean, Umi!
Lantis-kun would never – I mean, he is a gentlem- and those tricks
– I;m too young! - and we –" She was unable to finish the
sentence, mind too occupied of trying to not
visualize what sort of tricks it was that Umi alluded to. Good grief,
was she guilty of being an idiot and not noticing when Lantis was
being… male?

It
caused her to turned even redder and even Umi began to worry.

"Ne?"
The Blue Knight shook her head in exasperation. "I was joking,
Hikaru! I know Lantis-sama would never do those things to you."

"And
why not?! Is something wrong with me?"

"Oh,
for the love of …" Umi counted to ten before speaking again. "You
just said yourself that your boyfriend is a gentleman. And you are
too young to know those things." This last part she emphasized
every word.

The
two remained silent after that, with only Hikaru's occasional
sniffing to break the silence. After a while this too quieted down.
Umi waited for her friend's skin color to return to normal before
she spoke again. "Are you alright?"

The
Donner of Rayearth nodded, before blushing again. "I guess I was
caught off guard, is all. I mean, I never really thought Lantis-kun
would think our relationship would progress to that stage..." She
looked down rather than see Umi's possible disapproving look,
wringing her hands nervously. "But I forget how old he already is
and that he may, well… you know."

The
other knight gave a straggled cry that was half laughter and half
embarrassed squeal. She didn't need to know the ins and outs of her
friends' relationships. It was enough for her to know that both Umi
and Fuu were happy and content. God's truth, if they ever decided
to actually give up their virginity to their Cephirian lovers, who
was she to say no? It was their life, she told herself firmly. Their
choice and not hers.

But
she was troubled by the idea all the same. Hikaru and Fuu were
already so in love that to make the relationship more intimate…

'What
would they feel then when it is time to return home?' came the
worried thought.

Her
hands gripped either side of Hikaru's shoulders and started shaking
her enough to rattle the poor girl's skeletal system. "Too young,
Hikaru-chan!" she ranted in a loud, I-will-not-be-disobeyed voice.
"Tooyoungtooyoungtooyoung!"

It
was a hand placed on top of her head - one very large and very strong
hand – that made her stop her movements and let her own hands fall
limply to her sides, her breathing shallow and fast. Before her,
Hikaru continued to sway back and forth, her eyes open wide and dizzy
looking.

None
of the girls registered the two shadows that fell on them: Umi was
still trying to calm her frazzled nerves and Hikaru was still in lala
land after Umi's 'lecture'.

But
when the owner of one of the shadows chuckled…

It
was the Celes's knight this time that became pole axed, while
Hikaru turned her head so fast it produced whiplash. The starling
amber eyes turned very big when she realized who had joined them.

"Lantis-kun…"

Umi
started twitching.

Hikaru
once again turned very red.

Eagle
chuckled yet again.

And
Lantis took his hand off Umi's head and with a weary sigh went and
picked up his girlfriend who had seemingly turned boneless at the
sight of him. He studiously ignored his friend's laughter, not
wanting to dignify whatever it was that the Autozam Prince was
thinking behind Umi and Hikaru's strange behaviour – then again,
the Knights of Cephiro were always strange, except maybe for the Wind
Knight.

Once
he had Hikaru in his arms, he nodded to Eagle, who was still smiling
in that maddening way of his and then to Umi, who was still twitching
and did not notice the gesture. This done, he left the two alone, the
redhead in his arms too intimidated with conflicting data –courtesy
of Umi – to remember the real reason she went looking for the girl
in the first place.

It
seems pushing Umi to acknowledge Ascot's feelings would have to
wait for another day…

------

He
had no clue what it was the two girls were discussing prior to their
arrival, but he admitted to being curios about what it could possibly
be. Certainly the two had the look of guilty little children caught
with both hands inside the cookie jar. He was amused enough that the
normal sadness he felt whenever he saw Hikaru and Lantis together did
not register.

Umi's
twitching may have something to do with that, he mused. It was a
fascinating reflex to see on such an elegant looking young woman.

They
haven't spoken to each other since their duel though he caught
glimpses of her from time to time. More often than not he forgot
about her existence, for Umi tended to stay in the lower areas of the
palace, where the kitchen was located, or loiter around the Great
Fountain, taking to the water's reflection with an animation of the
certifiably insane.

It
was only when he saw Hikaru herself talking to the fire located in
the Temple that he realized Umi may have been talking to her Mashin
rather than manifesting at last that she was crazy.

The
prince smiled as he looked at the Water Knight's expression. Lantis
has asked him if he'd caught sight of hikaru and rather than saying
no and going his merry way, he'd offer to help look. He missed his
friend's company, and Lantis's smile showed he too had missed
his.

Umi
was still twitching, and while it was entertaining he decided it was
time to stop. Not very courteous, after all, to let it continue. He
was raised better than that.

Eagle
held out his hand before her and waited for her to acknowledge it. No
words were necessary. When her soft hand gripped his a moment later,
he smiled yet again, before helping her stand up.

-------

Come Break Me Down

Chapter Two

-------

Suspicious
looks were being thrown at him and he hid the growing smile by
putting his hand – the one she held; it smelled of lilacs and a
scent entirely new to him – over his lips and coughing a little.

The
waning light was still strong enough for them to see the mountain
ranges to the right and the shadowed world that was the Forbidden
Forest.

Sunset
has come. It turned Cephiro into a land of different shades of red,
orange and purple. The Blue Knight's hair, still in its confined
state had turned an intriguing shade of violet, while his own he
imagined was now with a ginger tint. 'What a fascinating star, to
not just give light, but also to have the power to reflect colors,'
he thought idly.

"I
agree."

He
turned his head, one hand still casually holding the edge of the
wall, and raised one sculpted brow.

Umi
regarded him with a small frown and she indicated the setting sun.
"You said something about it being fascinating."

There
was no change on his face. Too long he'd trained himself to always
appear calm and collected. But he was surprised. So he had spoken out
loud. Eagle made a mental note to stop doing that. Ever since his
planet began a campaign against Cephiro, he'd taken to talking to
himself and sometimes speaking his thoughts even when there was no
one to hear it.

It
didn't escape him that not so long ago, he'd accuse Umi of being
insane when he thought the girl was doing the same thing.

He
nodded slowly, and turned again to watch the object of their
discussion. Besides him, Umi nervously run her hand on the smooth
texture of his cape. He'd gallantly insisted she put it on when it
became evident she was going to stay in the garden to watch the
sunset.

It
will be cold, he told her in his soft voice.

She
agreed finally, with a hint of frustration, thinking he would then
leave her alone so she could return to her thoughts.

But
he was still there, sitting besides her, watching the sunset as well.

The
wind had picked up and it howled around them in that alien sound the
gust had a way of making as it weaved itself amid the leaves and
branches. It caused their cheeks to turn a ruddy red, and stung her
eyes if she opened it too long.

Stubborn
pride was the only thing that kept her from leaving her post. She was
there first.

She
wondered what it was that kept him from leaving his.

He
would be damned if he knew why.

Eagle
himself was wondering why he insisted on staying. On the surface, the
answer came readily; that feeling of longing every time he saw Lantis
and Hikaru had caught up with him finally, and he was reluctant to
stray away from the one place he would never chance upon them.

But
then…. there was also that kindred mood the girl was emitting.

She
hid it well. There was no outward signs that she was lonely, or
yearning, but he'd seen the reflection of his eyes as he stared at
himself on a mirror to recognize it one someone else's. It reminded
him of the rumours; the Great Paladin in love with the Magic Knight.
And she loved him back.

A
scandal of course, if ever proven true.

The
world has moved on, but the hearts of the people, their very
traditions and beliefs, remain rooted and protected.

The
Great Yil was looked up to with even more veneration than Princess
Esmeraulde herself when she'd lived. He deserved it, for he was the
appointed mentor and advisor, a man whose influence and dedication to
Cephrio spanned more than three Pillars of the land. Such a man was
worthy of respect.

The
Mage was now Cephiro's guiding light.

"Aren't
you cold?" Umi's question came unexpectedly, and interrupted his
thoughts. He realized night had descended and now only starlight
helped him discern his companion's features. She was frowning as
she clutched the cape closer to her body. The fringe of her bangs
were long enough that it occasionally hid her troubled gaze from
view.

He
looked at his armoured body, the whiteness of his garments visible
enough in the surrounding gloom. "T'is fine, Lady Umi. I am
comfortable enough." He gave one more passing glance at the now dim
landscape. "Should we be leaving? The others may be wondering about
us."

She
sighed then nodded.

Eagle
stood up easily, balancing on the brickwork and once again holding
out his hand. She took it without saying anything – the way she did
before. The cape swirled around her, now that it was not held close
to her body.

When
she tried to take her hand away, Umi found she couldn't.

Her
confused look, he could feel it on him.

"You're
hurt," he informed her patiently, and his free hand unconsciously
went to her left side, where it touched her ribcage with care. The
silky barrier of her tunic, the fact he was wearing his leather
gloves, did not stop him from imaging the warmth of her skin. It left
him feeling oddly vulnerable. "I noticed when you vaulted the
wall."

She
made an impatient noise and snatched her hand away, and when she
spoke, she sounded haughty. "I can get down easy." She sniffed
delicately and muttered, "I don't need help."

He
said nothing after that and merely waited.

There
was a sound of wind on swirling velvet, and fast on that was the yelp
of pain when she landed. She gritted her teeth from crying out more,
and made a mental note of whacking Hikaru's head next they meet.
She was surprised though when once again Eagle's hand was before
her, a silent invitation.

The
knight hesitated, before with a grimace she decided to take him up
his offer of help yet again.

--------

The
walk back inside the palace was uneventful. The moment the pool of
light from the torches reached them, it was Eagle himself who moved
away from her and bowed respectfully, telling her he must be on his
own way. After she hastily took off his cape and shoved it to his
face, she stiff walked away, calling out thank you in a louder than
necessary voice.

Now
all alone, she almost whacked her head on the wall, berating herself
for her ungracious actions, except that would mean additional pain,
and she really wasn't up for it.

So
she decided to forget about the encounter and Eagle-sama's
behaviour. What she really needed to do now, she told herself
forcefully, was choose between the need to eat or to go directly to
bed.

Standing
before her bedroom door, she tapped her foot rhythmically as she
mulled what it was she wanted to do. Her stomach was growling, but
she also felt very drained and listless having come up with no
solution to her problem, or even being sure that there was a problem
to solve in the first place.

When
she felt something soft and furry latch itself on one of her leg, she
almost died of a heart attack.

Looking
down, a vein ticking on her forehead, she saw a white
manju bun, with a red gem in his forehead above his eyes smiling
blissfully at her.

--------

A/N: there
you go. Makona is suicidal, I think, to do that to Umi, but I need
him to make the story plausible. Next chapter will elaborate.

Expect
Umi and Clef love on that one and of course, Umi and Eagle.

Hugs!!!

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.